Expensive car repair

On Monday, I had taken my wife's car in because it had been leaking oil.  Ended up being caused by a crack in the oil sending unit, just above the oil filter.  Though while it was there, I also had them do the 60k tune-up on the car and also replaced the battery, since it was running low.  Final costs?  $550.

It ended up costing more than I thought it would, but the bulk of the cost is from the tune-up and the battery.  I could have gone without the tune up, but I have always felt that car maintenance is important.  I take a lot of pride in my cars.  I like them nice and clean, like them in good visual order (ie, no big dents, scratches, etc), and in full working order.  Even though I know a car is a horrible investment, it is something that we definitely depend on.  If one of our cars broke down, we'd live, but it would be a major inconvenience.  So I try to keep everything in good mechanical shape.  Also, I know for a fact my wife has never taken her car in for a tune-up since she bought it, and she also went about the entire first year she owned the car without a single oil change.  I knew a tune up was definitely on the menu to make sure everything checked out.  Also, the tune up covered the inspection of the oil leak, so saved probably $30-40 there.

Next up on the lovely expenses... new tires for my car.  With the rain already starting, I probably shouldn't go much longer.